Sørfond support for six new projects

Sørfond has this week granted support for six international co-productions with Norwegian minority producers. This year the fund will give grants to projects from India, Ukraine, Palestine, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bangladesh.

Av Red
8. jun 2018

Sørfond has this week granted support for six international co-productions with Norwegian minority producers. This year the fund will give grants to projects from India, Ukraine, Palestine, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bangladesh.

Sørfond is administered by the Norwegian Film Institute in co-operation with the Films from the South Foundation, with funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture. The main objective is to increase film production in countries where it is limited for political or financial reasons. Strong artistic performance and cultural integrity are core priorities, and an important purpose is to strengthen freedom of speech. During the last seven years, Sørfond has supported 47 productions.

For this year’s round the fund received 46 applications for its March deadline, and the level of quality amongst the submitted projects impressed the jury. Six projects were selected for funding: three fiction- and three documentary projects. The total amount allocated by Sørfond in 2018 is 3.000.000 NOK (approximately 315.000 EUR).

In the selection and evaluation process we have had the privilege to travel the world and get to know both new and experienced filmmakers. The quality of the projects exceeds the funds, and it has been a difficult process choosing between the diverse applications. The selected projects all show originality, a specific point of view, and voices that demand to be heard through the magic of cinematic storytelling.

Aida, mid-aged English teacher is with her two grown up sons and husband in a UN base. They are looking for shelter after the Serbian Army occupies Srebrenica. She is working as a UN translator believing that she is safe with the UN. However, system of protection and empathy starts to fall apart. She has to rescue her family.

In one of the most socially oppressive and patriarchal states of India emerges a newspaper run entirely by rural women belonging to the Dalit or “untouchable” community.

About Sørfond:

Sørfond is an international co-production fund administered by the Norwegian Film Institute in co-operation with the Films from the South Foundation with funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture. Sørfond supports film productions whose main producer is based in countries on the current OECD DAC- list. The grant shall contribute to strengthening film as a cultural expression, to promoting diversity and artistic integrity on the international film scene, and to strengthen freedom of expression. The grant shall also contribute to an increased cooperation between European and international film industry.

The purpose of the grant is to stimulate to the production of films in developing countries where such production is limited by political or economic causes, as well as encouraging the film to reach a widest possible audience.